My Birthday Celebration

Today I celebrated my 65th birthday in York . . . England. We began the day by touring York Minster, the largest gothic cathedral north of the Alps. It is a medieval cathedral built on the site of a Norman cathedral built on the site of a Roman basilica that was visited by Constantine. The current building is magnificent and really awe-inspiring.

After lunch we went to see the National Railway Museum, the largest railway museum in the world (e.g., it includes a real roundhouse) they say.

Then we had a wonderful dinner that Tom arranged with Tony the chef at the York Coach House Hotel where we are staying in York. The chef prepared a carnivore's delight for me with lamb, beef, and brat from the meat food group, along with potatoes & vegetables. The dessert was a sampler of five different desserts which, even though it is my birthday, I shared (some) with Tom. There was a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Tom waiting for me at our dinner table. It was a wonderful, unforgettable day!

Jesus in Joppa

Jesus is still enjoying his trip with us on my sabbatical. He has particularly enjoyed his stay at the Joppa Turrets Guest House in Joppa on the outskirts of Edinburgh. He liked the view from the room, overlooking the Firth of Forth. At breakfast this morning he met some travelers from Germany, Ursula and Sarah. Anne and Phil, our hosts at Joppa Turrets, feted Jesus with haggis, and he earned a certificate because his friend, Tom, actually ate haggis.

Anne was concerned that Jesus might get cold during the trip and has provided him with a Clan Ross tartan scarf.

Finding Samuel Seabury or Where’s Sammy?

Friday began with a visit to yet another ruined 12^th century castle, Donnottar in Stonehaven. This one, like the others we have seen, was situated on a promontory above the ocean, in this case the North Sea. We drove from the B&B to the car park for the castle tour. Then we walked about a quarter of a mile down a hill and back up to the castle. You can easily see why this place was chosen as the location of a fort. (By the way, I have learned that a castle is a fort, a defensive structure, and some castles include residences beyond barracks for the troops. All the castles we have seen so far seem to be both fort and residence.) Among the ruins was a chapel that was part of the castle set-up from early on, and we discovered that a chapel had been constructed on that site in the 5^th or 6^th century. So before this location became a place of power for earls and the kings they served, it was a place of worship and a center for early Christian missionaries. I think pre-Christian people worshiped there also.

Once we had thoroughly perused the remains, we set off north to Aberdeen to find the church where Samuel Seabury was consecrated the first Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States. I knew Seabury had been consecrated in Aberdeen, but I hadn’t had time before we left to look up the exact location. I naively thought that there would be some mention of the consecration in guidebooks, but we couldn’t find anything. So, being a librarian, Tom suggested we search out a library and see if we could find something there. After driving around a bit, we finally found a parking space and set off to see what we could find. Rather amazingly, when we had walked only about four blocks, there on our left was the city library. We went in on the first level which contained many computers. When Tom explained what we wanted, the librarian directed us to the Adult Book Section (tsk, tsk, not that kind of adult books) of the library on the second floor. From there we were directed up one more level to the local information reference section. While I waited for one of the librarians to help me, Tom decided to set off on his own to see if he could uncover anything of note. Using the old-fashioned card catalog method of searching for information, he found a book that contained some references to the consecration. Meanwhile the librarian brought me two other books that also gave us a lot of information. Between us we found out that Samuel Seabury had gone to Canterbury, England, in 1784 to ask if the English bishops would consecrate him, but they were unable to accommodate him because he would not swear an Oath of Allegiance to the Crown as part of the consecration liturgy.

So Seabury got himself up to Scotland, and three bishops there consecrated him; however, Seabury was not consecrated in a church building. The Rt. Rev. John Skinner, Bishop of Aberdeen and the rector of St. Andrew’s Scottish Episcopal Church, agreed to work with Seabury. At that time the congregation was meeting in Skinner’s home. Thus it was that Skinner and two other bishops gathered in the upper room of the Skinner home to consecrate Samuel Seabury the first Bishop of the Americas. Some years later the tenement that contained the Skinner home, was torn down to make way for a new wing of Marischal College. A plaque was made to commemorate the location of the consecration and placed on a wall of the college. Once we had found all this out, Tom and I set off to locate the College and the plaque. With the help of a nice man who took pity on us as we wandered around in circles with a little map in our hands, we made it to the college only to find out that it was being completely remodeled and no one but the destruction/construction crews were allowed inside. So, in order to not go away empty handed, we took a picture of the corner of the college where the house used to be. It felt good to stand in that spot and think about all that Seabury had gone through to be consecrated and to think that we stand in that long line of Episcopalians.

For those of you reading this who are not Episcopalians, here’s a little history of the Episcopal Church and Samuel Seabury. Before and during the War for Independence, aka the Revolutionary War, the Church of England in the colonies was governed from England, and the men who wanted to be priests had to sail to England to be ordained. When the colonies became the United States of American and severed their relationship with the English government, it became clear to the leaders of the church that they needed to set up an institution that was independent of England. In order to be independent they needed their own bishops primarily to ordain new priests. So a group of clergy gathered in Ridgefield, Connecticut, at what is now known as Glebe House, to elect the first bishop. Samuel Seabury was a priest of the Church of England in Connecticut before and during the War for Independence. He was a loyal Tory but chose to stay in the Untied States following the end of the war. He did not attend the meeting in Ridgefield but nonetheless was elected bishop.

I think that is quite enough for now. I’ll be back with some information about St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen. Peace and love, Jane.

Neolithic Sightings and Other Historical Visits

Last night I was up until 1:00 AM, and it was still not completely dark. There was also a street light just outside the window so I couldn’t tell just how light it was. The sky looked more gray than black. Later that day we visited the Stenness Standing Stones and the Ring of Brogdan along with an archeological dig that we discovered by accident. The dig was being conducted by Orkney College. The two sets of stones are constructed like Stone Henge, large, tall stones standing on end in a circle. Most archeologists and historians surmise that the stones represent some type of religious setting, but no one knows for sure what their purpose was. So, I theorized about how those stones got there. What if about 5,000 years ago Og was sitting around with his buddies, Deg and Bik, and one of them said to the others, “You know those big slabs of stone lying in a pile across the island?” When the others said, “Yeh, we know,” he went on, “Well, I think those stones would look really great standing on end in a circle, and we could lever them up with dirt and poles. So, guys, what do think? I bet the fellas in the next valley will be green with envy.” Maybe they just wanted to see if they could do it. Well, maybe not. They might have put up one or two to see if they could, but they must have had some other motive to continue with the project and put 12 to 30 stones in two great circles. It’s way too difficult to do to just be fooling around. I’m awed to think that these folks probably did have some awareness of the Great Mystery, and went to a whole lot of trouble to make a special place to honor and worship it.

We went on to Kirkwall, the Orkney capitol, where we visited St. Magnus Church. Construction on the church was begun in 1137 by a Norseman who wanted to honor his uncle Magnus who had been killed by the enemy. We also walked through a 17th century palace built by Patrick Stewart, the Earls Palace. The church is still in use, and at least part of the congregation is Norse for we saw a Norwegian Bible on an altar. (There is still a strong Norwegian influence in the Orkneys. A number of households fly the Norwegian flag.) There was enough of the palace left to get a real feel for how it must have been in its day.

Today is Thursday, and after taking the ferry back to Scrabster we drove south along the eastern Scottish coast to Stonehaven, a small town just south of Aberdeen. The scenery was not nearly as special as the western side of Scotland. We did, however, see some offshore drilling rigs out in the North Sea, and two large wind farms, not in the North Sea. Actually we have seen several wind farms around Scotland. I’ll have to find out how much of their electricity is wind generated.

Thursday was our daughter-in-law Lisa’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Lisa. We love you and hope you had a wonderful day.

The Isle of Skye and Beyond

We have spent Saturday and Sunday on the Isle of Skye taking in the beauty of the mountains and coastline as we drove through the rain. It took us almost two and a half hours to do our laundry on Saturday afternoon. Next to figuring out which B&B we were actually staying in that night, the laundry was the highlight for me – because it took so much time and because it was good to have clean clothes again. We spent Saturday night at the Glenview B&B which is run by a lovely young couple who look like they're about thirteen. They were very nice, and we had a lovely stay there. We tried to attend church this morning in Staffin on the east coast, but the services didn’t start until 11:00 or 12:00, and we needed to be on our way before then. We also passed several churches along the way, but none of them looked open. So, we didn’t make it to church - maybe next Sunday. We might be over in the Edinburgh area by then.

Today we saw DunVegan Castle, the oldest continuously occupied castle in the UK. The first parts of the castle were built in the 1200s. The word dun means fort. So it seems that there is a fort here for strict vegetarians. You don’t find that often. Following our castle tour we drove out to Neist Point and the lighthouse there. I thought we were just going to look at the view, but Tom decided he wanted to see the lighthouse which was not visible from the top of the hill where we were. So we walked down the very steep hill across a flat area and down another steep hill and across another flat. Oh, my goodness. The lighthouse was interesting and there also were some strange rock formations down there that looked to have been built by some new age types, but then we had to walk all the way back up to the parking lot. Oh, did I mention that it was really steep? Except for the pilgrimage on Iona I have not had much strenuous exercise since my surgery, so this was not easy for me, but we made it eventually. I have to say that I am in better shape than I was two weeks ago. As we drove into a little town today we saw a green street sign with white letters put up by a front gate that read “Elvis Presley Blvd.” You never know where you’re going to find an Elvis fan. Tonight we are staying at the Stein Inn, built in 1790. It is the oldest inn on Skye and is right by the water. It continues to rain, but we took a little walk on the lone street in this part of town after dinner anyway.

Monday morning: it is really stormy now. The leaves on the palm tree out front are blowing almost parallel to the ground and the rain is streaming down the windowpanes. We might not do a lot of walking today. Although Skye is beautiful, I still prefer the Isle of Mull.

The mountains and the coastlines and harbors that we have seen thus far are fantastic. Tom and I have found similarities with the mountains in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont as well as Atlantic Canada, especially Cape Breton. Perhaps long ago when the continents were still connected, the mountains of Scotland were part of the mountain range that we call the Alleghenies in the U.S.

The farther north we drive the more barren and desolate the countryside is. Today there was a lot more exposed rock and fewer trees, and also fewer houses. We had lunch today in Ullapool. We ate with a young man, Jan, from Switzerland. He had chosen a table at which to sit and had then gone up to the bar to order. When he returned we were standing at the table, and after informing us that it was his table, he asked us to join him. Jan and a friend are hiking and camping around Scotland. Their plan was to spend most of their two-month holiday in Scotland, but after three weeks of rain the plan now is to go to France for the remained of the holiday. He was lamenting the fact that they just can’t seem to ever dry out. Before we left, Tom took out his Swiss Army Knife. Jan’s face lit up and he asked what else we knew from Switzerland, Tobleron? Yes, and Swiss banks and the Swiss Army. The Swiss Army was so impressive that they were chosen to guard the Vatican. I have seen those guys, too. They dress in the same style uniform from about the 1500s (I think).

Our friend Jeanne Parker encouraged us to drive up the northwest coast on our way to the Orkney Islands. I’m so glad we took her recommendation. It is stunning up this way, and we had a lovely conversation with an interesting person.

Today, Tuesday, July 21, 2009, we drove from Scourie where we stayed last night in a house that the Duke of Sutherland built for his wife in 1835, to Scrabster where we took the ferry to the Orkney Island of Mainland. The Scourie Lodge also has a lovely garden with palm trees grown from seeds from Australia. It is believed that they are the most northerly growing palm trees in the world. We saw more beautiful mountains and white sand beaches on the drive across the north coast of Scotland. After an hour and a half crossing, we arrived at the town of Stromness. Our abode while on the island for two nights is the Ferry Inn which is right across the street from where the ferry docks. The building is a little worse for wear, but it has character. The first thing we did was to see Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old settlement on the northwest coast of Mainland. No one seems to know where these people came from or where they went after about 600 years at this site. What motivates people? It’s so hard to know, especially 5,000 years later. We also walked around Stromness a bit (this is a small town, so we didn’t go far) and had supper at the Inn.

We are so far north now I wonder if it will get dark at all tonight. I’ll see how late I can stay up, and I’ll let you know what I find out. Good night, for now.

Leaving Iona and Moving On

We have had our last dinner here. Most of the meals have been vegetarian, and I’ve enjoyed them. Tonight we had herring salad, herring with fruit and some kind of cream sauce I think. That was not good, but they made up for it with vanilla ice cream and spiced fruit compote for dessert. Yum, yum!

Our evening worship was a communion service. The presider sat at the head of a table that had been set up between the choir stalls in front of the altar. He stood when he had things to say so that the folks who were seated farther away could see. Again we passed the bread and the wine around, instead of us going to the table to receive communion. We had breakfast at 7:30 Friday morning followed by worship at 8:15. The Iona experience was wonderful, but I’ve decided that I am not cut out for living in that much community for more than a week or two. However, I loved meeting all the folks from different countries and from other parts of the U.S., and I enjoyed each worship experience very much.

We caught the 9:00 AM ferry to Mull, and waved good-bye to all of our Iona Community friends at the dock. We traced our way back across Mull to Craignure and the ferry to Oban. Upon disembarking from the ferry we drove north through the Highlands. The day was mostly overcast with intermittent rain, but the mountains and valleys we drove through were beautiful. I grew up in West Virginia where the mountains seemed close together and the valleys were narrow. Here the hills are more separated and the valleys wider. We drove to Plockton where we are staying in a little hotel on the waterfront with a wonderful restaurant. From the front door you look out on palm trees, a bit of beach, the bay and all surrounded by stunning mountains.

I was telling Tom at dinner that it seems that a lot the things I’ve been reading and thinking about for the past couple of years are coming together. Last year when Craig Miller came to Grace to guide us through our capital stewardship program he stressed that what was important for us, as a community and individually was not equal gifts, but rather equal sacrifice. In the closing responses of our Iona morning worship we pray, “we will not offer to God sacrifices that cost us nothing.” All of this reminds me that we don’t give to God out of our surplus or out of anything we happen to have left over. Rather in order to truly understand our relationship to God, we give to God first out of the core of our resources. That relationship acknowledges that God is the giver of all that we have, and it expresses our trust that God will continue to give us what we need.

I’ve also been thinking about the purpose of church. Of course there is not just one purpose, but what has been going through my mind is that we don’t “go to church” just to fulfill an obligation or to get our bread and wine or even to learn the doctrines or creeds, but through our participation we are reminded that we are connected to all creation and thus we have an obligation to help God care for our little part of that creation. We aren’t expected to do the same things, but each of us can do some thing. To borrow the title of a book by Henry Nouwen, we go to get ‘bread for the journey,’ which fortifies us for our daily lives and enables us to share God’s love with others.

What Jesus Has Been Doing

Last Morning on Iona

Ten o’clock Thursday morning: our last full day on the island. I have done my little job of shower cleaning for the last time, and Tom and I are preparing to pack. I’m sitting on my bed listening to the sheep baaing as they graze in the pasture just beyond the Abbey. It is sunny, and there are big, white, puffy clouds in the sky. As always, there is a little breeze. Another beautiful day on Iona. Weather this good for so many days is rare here they say. There was some light rain the day of the Pilgrimage, but that was it. Actually, the rain prevented the walk from being too hot. We have had a really fine time. We have met some very nice and interesting people. We have experienced beautiful worship, and we have had stimulating conversation about Celtic Spirituality and its relationship to the structure of the Church. Truly, I cannot believe our time here is coming to an end.

Just to prolong our enjoyment a bit more. We went for a walk to the northern end of the island where we sat on a hillside overlooking the Ross of Mull and listened to the waves and then walked on the beach a while. Then we spent a lot of money in the book/gift shop. Among our purchases are some wonderful worship resources.

I took Jesus to lunch with us today and introduced him to the group. One woman laughingly commented that it was very generous of me to share Jesus with them. A young woman from Argentina was quite taken with the whole idea of the Jesus doll, and asked to hold him for a while.

That’s it for now. Tom and I have to go down to the St. Columba Hotel to post our blog entries. Peace and blessings.

Boat Trip to Staffa Island

Wednesday we took a boat trip to the island of Staffa. There is a big cave, Fingal’s Cave, there into which the ocean flows and sometimes makes beautiful sounds. Supposedly, following a visit to the

island in 1829 Felix Mendelssohn was inspired to write the Hebrides Overture. We didn’t hear the special sound, but we did get to look into the cave. The best part of the day for me, though, was seeing Puffins for the first time. They are so cute, and they love being near people because people keep the seagulls away. It seems that the gulls will snatch the food out of the Puffins’ beaks as they are carrying it back to their young. With people around, the gulls are not so brave. We got to watch them fly and land and walk around for about fifteen minutes. It was wonderful. We saw seals both as we were going to and from Staffa. Also, the water up in this part of the world is crystal clear and turquoise in places. It looks very like the Caribbean.

The 9:00 PM worship was conducted mostly without words. The congregation was given papers with little diagrams of the order of worship, like the picture of a bell for bell ringing, a candle being lit for candle lighting, you get the picture (yes, pun intended). At one point we all got up walked out of the Abbey church, walked around the cloister walk and then back to our seats. The music was hummed. The only spoken part was the Scripture reading. It was an interesting experience. It certainly gave you space to think. Later we attended a Taize worship in a smaller chapel on the grounds. The space was lighted only by candles. They were placed up on shelves, on a table and in large candle stands. Each one of the participants was also given a candle to hold. Tom and I knew all of the chants so we were able to participate fully without spending time learning the music. I really loved it.